Raven disengaged her mechanical eyes to eliminate their distraction. Loosening her control once again she allowed the darkness she keep restrain within herself flow into the room. As before it fused itself with the shadows and darkness, heightening her senses.
The darkness wrapped as if it were a thick blanket. She sharply stood upon her bunk bed and reached out at the man across from her. The darkness, tainted by her own shadow magic, responded in kind. The man choked, grasping at his throat as his eyes widened. Raven gestured to the man in the bunk above her. Thick sheets of shadow cascaded over him, wrapping him in the darkness, silencing him and restricting his ability to move.
More men in the room stirred in that instant, calling for a more drastic measure.
Raven moved through the darkness slipping as if through a thick fluid. From the center of the room she sent out a swirl of fel tainted dark energy that radiated throughout the room. It sapped the energies of every man confounding their minds, blurring their vision. Raven propelled herself out of the room and into the dark halls leaving the men of the chamber stunned but otherwise alive.
Her shadow magic stretched out before her, fusing with the darkness as she moved. Each long stride moved her silently through the halls with very little effort. It felt as if she were running along the bottom of lake or deep pond. The darkness preceding her snuffed out lit torches and surrounded a single patrolling guard.
His breath came labored and heavy. He moved to one side unknowingly allowing Raven to pass unseen and unheard. Her shadowy influence drifted along with her and the man could breath again. He peered around in the darkness confused.
Braziers burned furiously outside where a pair of guards stood watch and yet others patrolled the road just beyond. Darkness suddenly surrounded the pair and their breathing became heavy and labored. The light of the braziers diminished as Raven passed. The thick darkness passed with her. The guards regained their breath and the fire of the brazier ignited, burning brightly. Though confused these two guards reacted almost instantly. They cried out an alarm that soon brought with it ringing bells. Guards filed out from within the barracks and arrived from other places. They swiftly organized and fanned throughout the keep in search of the source of this strange occurrence.
Being so close to the Dark Portal surrounded at all sides by tainted fel lands, strange and often frightening occurrences were practically the order of the day. Yet when something drastic happens it was standard practice (and really for the better) that a general alarm was raised. Search parties were organized and in a swift few minutes the entire keep was swept through and every person accounted for. Their process was well oiled, and it had to be. Something as simple as a single fel imp or even a wild fel-tainted boar that goes unnoticed for too long can cause massive damage while sowing incredible chaos and turmoil throughout.
Buy the time the two portcullis were dropped and the search parties fanned out, Raven was standing atop a darkened null watching what she had created. She wasn't afraid or ashamed, but a bit amused. She felt her lips stretch into a devious smirk.
No men were killed and no one was seriously harmed. Thinking back on her escape she certainly had the means and opportunity to do so. She even had the glint of a thought. How easily could she have snuffed the lives of every man asleep or awakening in that room? She didn't know, but she felt like she could have done it, and it would have almost been too easy; but she didn't. It's true, she had killed before.
The gnome servants of Azora. Three of them perished at her hands. She was scared and in a panic, trying to escape what she thought at the time would be her end so in that light they were justified. At least in her own mind. There was a part of her that enjoyed the bloodbath, even though she did it out of desperation.
That same thing was still inside her. Raven characterised it as an evil vicious little imp deep within and longed to taste the blood again. She had a notion to indulge that thing, that imp. That mischievous, murderous little imp. But she didn't. Killing all those men in cold blood would garner her nothing but more unwanted attention. Their fellows would be on a warpath that would only get more of them killed as they searched the Blasted Lands for what didn't exist. Moreover they'd likely spread the news and put other guards in other towns and keeps on alert, only making her work harder to avoid suspicion.
No. Better to keep the imp barred and chained for now. The men's lives will cool tempers and soon this whole incident will fade, like her, into the night.
The darkness wrapped as if it were a thick blanket. She sharply stood upon her bunk bed and reached out at the man across from her. The darkness, tainted by her own shadow magic, responded in kind. The man choked, grasping at his throat as his eyes widened. Raven gestured to the man in the bunk above her. Thick sheets of shadow cascaded over him, wrapping him in the darkness, silencing him and restricting his ability to move.
More men in the room stirred in that instant, calling for a more drastic measure.
Raven moved through the darkness slipping as if through a thick fluid. From the center of the room she sent out a swirl of fel tainted dark energy that radiated throughout the room. It sapped the energies of every man confounding their minds, blurring their vision. Raven propelled herself out of the room and into the dark halls leaving the men of the chamber stunned but otherwise alive.
Her shadow magic stretched out before her, fusing with the darkness as she moved. Each long stride moved her silently through the halls with very little effort. It felt as if she were running along the bottom of lake or deep pond. The darkness preceding her snuffed out lit torches and surrounded a single patrolling guard.
His breath came labored and heavy. He moved to one side unknowingly allowing Raven to pass unseen and unheard. Her shadowy influence drifted along with her and the man could breath again. He peered around in the darkness confused.
Braziers burned furiously outside where a pair of guards stood watch and yet others patrolled the road just beyond. Darkness suddenly surrounded the pair and their breathing became heavy and labored. The light of the braziers diminished as Raven passed. The thick darkness passed with her. The guards regained their breath and the fire of the brazier ignited, burning brightly. Though confused these two guards reacted almost instantly. They cried out an alarm that soon brought with it ringing bells. Guards filed out from within the barracks and arrived from other places. They swiftly organized and fanned throughout the keep in search of the source of this strange occurrence.
Being so close to the Dark Portal surrounded at all sides by tainted fel lands, strange and often frightening occurrences were practically the order of the day. Yet when something drastic happens it was standard practice (and really for the better) that a general alarm was raised. Search parties were organized and in a swift few minutes the entire keep was swept through and every person accounted for. Their process was well oiled, and it had to be. Something as simple as a single fel imp or even a wild fel-tainted boar that goes unnoticed for too long can cause massive damage while sowing incredible chaos and turmoil throughout.
Buy the time the two portcullis were dropped and the search parties fanned out, Raven was standing atop a darkened null watching what she had created. She wasn't afraid or ashamed, but a bit amused. She felt her lips stretch into a devious smirk.
No men were killed and no one was seriously harmed. Thinking back on her escape she certainly had the means and opportunity to do so. She even had the glint of a thought. How easily could she have snuffed the lives of every man asleep or awakening in that room? She didn't know, but she felt like she could have done it, and it would have almost been too easy; but she didn't. It's true, she had killed before.
The gnome servants of Azora. Three of them perished at her hands. She was scared and in a panic, trying to escape what she thought at the time would be her end so in that light they were justified. At least in her own mind. There was a part of her that enjoyed the bloodbath, even though she did it out of desperation.
That same thing was still inside her. Raven characterised it as an evil vicious little imp deep within and longed to taste the blood again. She had a notion to indulge that thing, that imp. That mischievous, murderous little imp. But she didn't. Killing all those men in cold blood would garner her nothing but more unwanted attention. Their fellows would be on a warpath that would only get more of them killed as they searched the Blasted Lands for what didn't exist. Moreover they'd likely spread the news and put other guards in other towns and keeps on alert, only making her work harder to avoid suspicion.
No. Better to keep the imp barred and chained for now. The men's lives will cool tempers and soon this whole incident will fade, like her, into the night.
